News Links: Are campaign promises tricks or treats?

A New York man carved these two jack-o-lanterns with the faces of Sens. Barack Obama, left, and John McCain, right.

– Politico does a roundup of some of the scariest rumors from the 2008 presidential campaign. {Politico}

– In the last four days before Election Day, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is campaigning in six states that George W. Bush won in 2004. {New York Times}

– John McCain is trying to keep his eye on Ohio. The state went for Bush in 2004 but appears to be trending Democratic in 2008. {Wall Street Journal}

– “Sen. Obama’s economic policy is from the far left of American politics and ours is in the center,” McCain said Friday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” {Houston Chronicle}

– Some pollsters and analysts say John McCain’s chances for the presidency are rapidly deteriorating, while others say the race is already over. “This election is cooked and done, it’s in the warming tray,” one observer said. {Bloomberg}

– So far, 2.7 million people in Texas’ 15 largest counties have voted early. That’s compared to the 1.7 million people who had voted at the same time in 2004. {San Antonio Express-News}

– President Bush has sat out this election cycle. But first lady Laura Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have been campaigning in some parts of the country. {The Hill}

– The Commerce Department announced Friday that consumer spending dropped 0.3 percent in September. It’s the biggest decline in four years. {Houston Chronicle}

– The White House is taking steps toward more deregulation in the areas of commercial ocean-fishing, emissions of pollutants, drinking-water standards and mountaintop coal mining. {Washington Post}